Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? - Blu-ray Forum

bigshot · 08-20-2016, 05:18 PM

I've been a sucker for horror thrillers with question titles since I was a kid... Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice? but I had never seen Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? I bought the Kino blu-ray blind, but I'm really glad I did. It is a lot of fun. It's Hansel and Gretel being held captive by the evil witch. What could be more fun than that?

All of these films have over the top female leads, and this one stars the ultimate monster bee-yotch... Shelly Winters. Boy! Is she great in this film. She flickers back and forth between frailty and threatening rage, and even manages to hold it together to put on an overripe vaudeville act in one scene. Her performance is much more controlled than in Poor Pretty Eddie, but it's just as bizarre. Gotta love Shelly Winters!

The supporting cast is great too, particularly Ralph Richardson as an elderly ineffectual bunko psychic. Michael Jackson's dream boy, Mark Lester plays the angelic Hansel to Winters' witch in the gingerbread house, and the script even allows him to be a little wicked which is nice.

A lot of the fun comes from the situation... a big old spooky house that used to belong to a magician, complete with weird magic props, secret doors and hidden chambers. And of course the dead child in the small coffin in the secret nursery! The British studio influence (Shepperton) adds a layer of class to the tawdry proceedings.

The sound and picture are wonderful. Very much like watching film, not video. As I watched it, I was reminded of the spook show double features they used to play at the Alex Theater in Glendale, CA when I was a kid. This is the sort of movie I would have eaten up like ice cream when I was 12.

It would be fun to screen this film as a double feature with Night of the Hunter, because there are a lot of similar themes and action, and both films star Shelly Winters in opposite roles. The ying and yang of Shelly Winters!

This one is well worth getting.

The Great Owl · 08-20-2016, 07:53 PM

Thanks for the review. I've got this title on order, and am looking forward to it.

Gerby · 08-20-2016, 09:05 PM

I have it on a double bill dvd with another Curtis Harrington movie 'What's the matter with Helen?'.
Both terrific movies, I recommend seeing every Curtis Harrington movie.

Member-222782 · 08-20-2016, 11:08 PM

Is it necessary to have seen "What's the Matter With Helen" and "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice" to enjoy "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo"?. I didn't know these films were related.

bigshot · 08-21-2016, 12:55 AM

They're only related by genre. They aren't sequels. It was a craze for a while to do horror movies with big powerful psycho older actresses at the center. You'll Like My Mother, Strait Jacket, The Baby and Poor Pretty Eddie fit in that genre too. If I thought about it a while, I could probably think of more.

bigshot · 08-21-2016, 12:57 AM

Ah! There was an animated one too... Medusa in The Rescuers is voiced by Geraldine Page, and she does a reprise of her role in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

OneWayFilms · 08-21-2016, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot

Ah! There was an animated one too... Medusa in The Rescuers is voiced by Geraldine Page, and she does a reprise of her role in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

This post inspired me to seek out this movie. I just found it and watched it on YouTube. Very enjoyable, Thank you!

Mr. Thomsen · 08-21-2016, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot

They're only related by genre. They aren't sequels. It was a craze for a while to do horror movies with big powerful psycho older actresses at the center. You'll Like My Mother, Strait Jacket, The Baby and Poor Pretty Eddie fit in that genre too. If I thought about it a while, I could probably think of more.

Oh, I love hagsploitation/ hag horror/ psycho-biddy etc. It's SO wonderfully weird that it actually became as small (sub-)genre in itself for a short time.

Thanks for the review, bigshot. Definitely going to order this now.

Has anyone seen the The Nanny btw? I am thinking about getting the Australian BD.

Gerby · 08-21-2016, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Oh, I love hagsploitation/ hag horror/ psycho-biddy etc. It's SO wonderfully weird that it actually became as small (sub-)genre in itself for a short time.

Thanks for the review, bigshot. Definitely going to order this now.

Has anyone seen the The Nanny btw? I am thinking about getting the Australian BD.

The Nanny is a great film too.
I would also recommend 'The Anniversary' which like 'The Nanny' is a Hammer film starring Bette Davis. 'The Anniversary ' is just that bit more weird & fun & more in tune with the Curtis Harrington movies.

bigshot · 08-21-2016, 07:10 PM

I suppose Sunset Boulevard was the first.

Crimson King · 08-21-2016, 07:22 PM

If I remember correctly, the movie had Judy Cornwell in it, who was on the TV show Keeping up Appearances.

Todd Tomorrow · 08-21-2016, 10:41 PM

I love me a bit of hagsploitation, but this is probably my least favourite of the bunch. I think the reason is that it's Winters up against a couple of kids rather than a more worthwhile adversary. Winters can be fun when she's up against a strong actor, but here I find her overbearing acting style suffocating. Curtis Harrington's films always sound more intriguing on paper than in execution.

Would love to see Aunt Alice on Blu as I'm a huge fan of Ruth Gordon and the movie is good fun. It's the third of the original "psycho-biddy" trilogy, with Aldrich still involved as a producer.

08-20-2016, 05:18 PM	#1
bigshot Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2010 Home Theater Gallery:12 Blu-ray collection:82 Blu-ray reviews: 3 Trading Score:3	Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? I've been a sucker for horror thrillers with question titles since I was a kid... Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice? but I had never seen Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? I bought the Kino blu-ray blind, but I'm really glad I did. It is a lot of fun. It's Hansel and Gretel being held captive by the evil witch. What could be more fun than that? All of these films have over the top female leads, and this one stars the ultimate monster bee-yotch... Shelly Winters. Boy! Is she great in this film. She flickers back and forth between frailty and threatening rage, and even manages to hold it together to put on an overripe vaudeville act in one scene. Her performance is much more controlled than in Poor Pretty Eddie, but it's just as bizarre. Gotta love Shelly Winters! The supporting cast is great too, particularly Ralph Richardson as an elderly ineffectual bunko psychic. Michael Jackson's dream boy, Mark Lester plays the angelic Hansel to Winters' witch in the gingerbread house, and the script even allows him to be a little wicked which is nice. A lot of the fun comes from the situation... a big old spooky house that used to belong to a magician, complete with weird magic props, secret doors and hidden chambers. And of course the dead child in the small coffin in the secret nursery! The British studio influence (Shepperton) adds a layer of class to the tawdry proceedings. The sound and picture are wonderful. Very much like watching film, not video. As I watched it, I was reminded of the spook show double features they used to play at the Alex Theater in Glendale, CA when I was a kid. This is the sort of movie I would have eaten up like ice cream when I was 12. It would be fun to screen this film as a double feature with Night of the Hunter, because there are a lot of similar themes and action, and both films star Shelly Winters in opposite roles. The ying and yang of Shelly Winters! This one is well worth getting.

08-21-2016, 12:55 AM	#5
bigshot Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2010 Home Theater Gallery:12 Blu-ray collection:82 Blu-ray reviews: 3 Trading Score:3	They're only related by genre. They aren't sequels. It was a craze for a while to do horror movies with big powerful psycho older actresses at the center. You'll Like My Mother, Strait Jacket, The Baby and Poor Pretty Eddie fit in that genre too. If I thought about it a while, I could probably think of more. Last edited by bigshot; 08-21-2016 at 01:16 AM.

08-20-2016, 07:53 PM	#2
The Great Owl Blu-ray Archduke Member since:Dec 2012 Location:Georgia 4K collection:924 Blu-ray collection:6033 DVD collection:28 Blu-ray reviews: 255 Trading Score:6	Thanks for the review. I've got this title on order, and am looking forward to it.

08-20-2016, 09:05 PM	#3
Gerby Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Aug 2013 Location:Yorkshire, UK Blu-ray collection:-	I have it on a double bill dvd with another Curtis Harrington movie 'What's the matter with Helen?'. Both terrific movies, I recommend seeing every Curtis Harrington movie.

08-20-2016, 11:08 PM	#4
Member-222782 Blu-ray Archduke Member since:Jun 2012 4K collection:645 Blu-ray collection:4556 DVD collection:474 Trading Score:140	Is it necessary to have seen "What's the Matter With Helen" and "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice" to enjoy "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo"?. I didn't know these films were related.

08-21-2016, 12:57 AM	#6
bigshot Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2010 Home Theater Gallery:12 Blu-ray collection:82 Blu-ray reviews: 3 Trading Score:3	Ah! There was an animated one too... Medusa in The Rescuers is voiced by Geraldine Page, and she does a reprise of her role in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

08-21-2016, 07:10 PM	#10
bigshot Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2010 Home Theater Gallery:12 Blu-ray collection:82 Blu-ray reviews: 3 Trading Score:3	I suppose Sunset Boulevard was the first.

08-21-2016, 07:22 PM	#11
Crimson King Blu-ray Prince Member since:Oct 2009 Blu-ray reviews: 19 Trading Score:684	If I remember correctly, the movie had Judy Cornwell in it, who was on the TV show Keeping up Appearances.

08-21-2016, 10:41 PM	#12
Todd Tomorrow Blu-ray Knight Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Berlin, Germany Blu-ray reviews:1	I love me a bit of hagsploitation, but this is probably my least favourite of the bunch. I think the reason is that it's Winters up against a couple of kids rather than a more worthwhile adversary. Winters can be fun when she's up against a strong actor, but here I find her overbearing acting style suffocating. Curtis Harrington's films always sound more intriguing on paper than in execution. Would love to see Aunt Alice on Blu as I'm a huge fan of Ruth Gordon and the movie is good fun. It's the third of the original "psycho-biddy" trilogy, with Aldrich still involved as a producer.

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